Daniel's story

I want to talk about Daniel, a character from the Bible that is well recognized by many people, we always talk about him in Sunday school with the children, and I want to focus on the story of Daniel because for me the story of Daniel is a story of integrity, loyalty, courage and simplicity.

And like Daniel, there are many characters in the Bible who modeled similar values, but I want to share with you about the story of Daniel and encourage you after the service, this week at your house, to go and start reading the Book of Daniel. so that they experience all the richness that is in this story and can be blessed too.

So I want you to go with me to the Book of Daniel chapter 1, and we're going to read all of chapter 1 so we're going to take our time, we're going to read it slowly and then we're going to go back and start exploring everything that the text has to say. we.

The Bible says: "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah and part of the utensils from the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his God, and placed the utensils in the treasury house of his God."

"And the king said to Ashpenaz, chief of the eunuchs, to bring from the children of Israel, from the lineage of princes, boys in whom there was no blemish, of good appearance, taught in all wisdom, wise in knowledge and of good understanding and fit to be in the king's palace, and to teach them letters, and the language of the Chaldeans."

"And the king appointed them the ration for each day of the provision of the king's food, and of the wine that he drank, and that he should raise them three years, that at the end of them they should appear before the king; among them were Daniel Ananias, Mishael and Azariah of the sons of Judah. To these the chief of the eunuchs gave names; he gave Daniel Beltasar, Ananias Sadrac, Misael Meshach, and Azariah Abed Denied."

"And Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the portion of the king's food and with the wine that he drank. He therefore asked the chief of the eunuchs that he not be forced to defile himself. And God put Daniel in favor and in goodwill with the chief of the eunuchs."

"And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel: I fear my lord, the king, who appointed your food and your drink, for when he sees your faces paler than those of the boys who are like you, you will condemn for him. he my head."

"Then Daniel said to Meltsar, who was placed as chief of the eunuchs over Daniel, Ananias, Misael and Azarías: I beg you to make a test with your servants for ten days and give us vegetables to eat, and water to drink. Compare later our faces with the faces of the boys who eat from the ration of the king's food and then do with your servants as you see."

"So he consented to this with them, and he tried with them ten days. And at the end of ten days their faces seemed better and more robust than the faces of the other boys who ate of the portion of the king's food. So Meltsazar took their portion of their food and wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. To these four boys God gave knowledge and intelligence in all letters and sciences, and Daniel had understanding in all vision and dreams.

"Now when the days had passed, at the end of which the king had said that he should bring them, the chief of the eunuchs brought them before Nebuchadnezzar, and the king spoke with them, and there were not found among all of them others like Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and Azariah; so they stood before the king."

"In all matters of wisdom and intelligence that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his kingdom; and Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus."

Brothers: I don't like history very much, but there is such great wealth when one sits down to read the stories of the Bible, the stories of nations, the history of our world, and I think it is worth it because there are So much to learn, and on this day my goal is to be able to share with you several principles found in this story of Daniel and his friends. Before going into a little detail, I want to share with you a little bit of the historical background of the Book of Daniel so that you understand a little bit under which the Book was written.

The Book of Daniel was written by Daniel around the 6th century BC and tells a little about the exile situation in Babylon. The people of Israel had gone through, this was almost at the end of the period of the kings in the Old Testament, and the people of Israel had gone through a very critical situation with so much massacre, wars, changes of kings, many ugly things were happening to that people, and when Daniel's period came, the Lord delivered them captives into the hands of the Babylonian empire.

Then the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, besieged the city, attacked it, destroyed it, took many men and women captive, many things from that city, especially things from the temple, and it is under these circumstances that Daniel begins to write everything he wrote and to narrate all that history.

The first half of the Book of Daniel is what it tells us: it tells us about the story of Daniel and his three friends, and how they remained faithful despite the fact that they had been taken captive to a pagan nation and far from God. The second half of the Book of Daniel talks about the visions that Daniel had, which were already more apocalyptic than they spoke of the destructions, and the judgment of God, and everything that was going to happen to the nation. And it was a very critical time because the people of Israel, the nation of Judah, already felt like they had lost that intimate and beautiful relationship that they had enjoyed with God himself when they saw everything that was happening to them, all the tragedy

Just imagine: a nation that was strong, that had kings, independent, is suddenly invaded, besieged, the people, a disaster. Imagine that they invade the United States now and that affects all of us, many people may wonder: and where is God, why is God allowing these things to happen?

However, God allowed all this to happen to strengthen in them the hope that, even though they went through all these calamities, it was not like this that the story was going to end. And many of them well felt like this, like: wow, after everything we've experienced with God, is this how the story is going to end? Are we going to be taken captive, prisoners to a pagan nation? and they were very hopeless, very discouraged but nevertheless God was doing something bigger in their midst.

In verse 1, if you go with me to verse 1, it says, "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered into his hands Jehoiakim king of Judah and some of the vessels of the house of God, and brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his God, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his God." Well, this was the first invasion.

The tribe of Judah, the people of Israel, was invaded about three times by the Babylonian empire and later by other empires, but this was the first time they were. The first time they were invaded was through King Nebuchadnezzar.

King Nebuchadnezzar was the most feared king in the whole world because he was the king of the most powerful empire there was at that time. And his strategy was to invade a city and attack it, and take the smartest, strongest, most outstanding men and the most beautiful women too, and leave all the poor, and all the people who kind of didn't serve him behind in that city. .

Imagine this was a strategy, where he used this to take all the best that a city had and strengthen his own empire, in Babylon, and then all the people that were left to take over the land; I told them: you can seize that land, take over the land, etc., etc. and this was a military strategy that he used to win the favor of the people, and let's say: the respect of the people, because well, they took him away but they left us the land, so it was like a compromise; people were afraid of him but at the same time it was like: we can't get involved because, well, he's giving us land; yes he attacked us And in the end they abstained from the consequences, they were satisfied with the consequences.

In verse 1 it says that the Lord gave them into his hands and the king took part of the utensils of the House of God and brought them to the land of Shinar. For the believers in Judah it was something so big that they attacked their city, but even bigger was that they destroyed and desecrated the Temple of God, so this was how it hurt them even more. And Nebuchadnezzar was so cruel that he besieged the Temple, attacked the Temple and stole the precious utensils that were in the temple, the most valuable ones, and the people were concerned about that.

So he stole that and took it with him to use in his pagan temple, and took it as an offering to his god. They worshiped the god Bel in Babylon so it was like a sign, a trophy evidence of what they had done.

When I read this about how they attacked the Temple, they desecrated the Temple, and I think about the emotional impact that this could have had on the people of Israel at that time, I sometimes think that the same thing happens with us when problems come to our At home, when we see things happen that are out of our reach, one begins to question and say: why is God allowing His people to suffer, why is He allowing things to happen to me? and it was perhaps what the Jews were wondering at that time in the midst of all this situation.

But nevertheless one feels bad when all these things happen, but one always has to trust that God is in control no matter how black the night is or how difficult the day, God has a plan, and even if one does not understand it now Maybe from now on one will look back and say: well, thank you Lord because You were always in control and caring for me no matter what was happening.

Then look what Nebuchadnezzar did. Nebuchadnezzar took the men, besieged the Temple but did not stay there. Look at what verse 3 says: ""And the king said to Ashpenaz, chief of the eunuchs, to bring from the children of Israel, from the lineage of princes" he was talking about the children of Israel, right? He was referring to children and young people especially royalty.

They attacked the people of Judah. The people of Judah were the southern kingdom where the lineages of David's family came from, who were the legitimate kings established by God. So Nebuchadnezzar sent for these children and these young people in particular because they were young people who, because of their lifestyle, were educated, courteous, and had very good qualities that he wanted to take advantage of. He took them away as slaves; They were young people that he looked at as an investment because he said: these young people are going to be prominent, very promising, good-looking, those were the things that were there.

And by taking the young men from the tribe of Judah he punished the parents of these people, the people left behind by demanding that they behave well, because if they did not obey, did not submit, then their children could suffer; It was like when a person is kidnapped, right? and they demand certain things from you, this was like the strategy: I am going to take your children because I am going to put them to work for me, but you have to remain humble, submissive and working because if not, their lives could be in danger.

So these things were what more or less passed through his mind: he took them as slaves in exchange for the fidelity of their parents in the land they left behind. These young people were also represented as a trophy and evidenced the power of Nebuchadnezzar; he said: I am the most feared king, the most powerful king and this is my trophy that I acquired in the land of Judah. It was also like an investment for him to be able to train them for work and advancement of his kingdom.

When I read all these things I said: my God, the same strategy happens, perhaps in one way or another, in our current society. In our current society, perhaps not much is said about one nation invading another and taking the strongest, and this, and the other, but I began to think and this is simply my opinion, okay? that, thinking of this nation, of the United States, and of the immigration issue, educated, intelligent, and illustrious people from all the countries of the world have a certain facility to emigrate to this country.

The United States may not be invading but it shows you like the opportunity to come here, prepare, educate yourself, but what happens when a person does that? it comes and stays. So it is a phenomenon that several Latin American countries have tried to debate and combat, the brain drain as it is known, where many professionals from their countries leave, come here and stay, and this is why countries do not advance. .

So I would look at this and I would say: wow, maybe it is a similar strategy to what is being presented in the Bible. Nebuchadnezzar knew that if he took the most illustrious people, the heirs to the throne, the people who could do something to move their country forward, that the country had no way to progress because people incapable of doing anything were left behind. . And perhaps sometimes I think that the same is true here, but perhaps we can take that with a grain of salt and think about it more deeply in the future.

But look what Nebuchadnezzar did. In verse 4 he says: "Boys in whom there was no blemish" he did not want people, you know, unprepared, people with defects, it was fine, you know, particular in what he wanted. Good-looking, imagine, just like me, right? (laughs) It was what he wanted. It said: "Taught in all wisdom, wise in knowledge and good understanding" I'm saying, I don't know "and suitable to be in the king's palace and to teach them the letters and languages of the Chaldeans." He was very clear about what he wanted to steal from the other nations and take it back to his nation.

Now: he had a well-planned plan because he wanted to make an investment in his future. He was taking them and he wanted people who were educated to bring all the knowledge of their culture and their nation, and also to teach them about the new culture and the new nation that they were going to be a part of; Look how it says there that he wanted them to be taught the letters and the language of the Chaldeans.

The Jews spoke Hebrew and in Babylon they spoke Aramaic, so when he took Daniel and his friends, and all the people they kidnapped, these people had to learn Aramaic, they had to learn customs, they had to learn about religions, and the king also took it upon himself to teach them other kinds of things. He wanted these young men to be the young men who would represent his kingdom in the future; They were the young people that he was going to put above the different government offices, the state offices, and he took them young, put them in a program of about three years and molded them, and tried to program them according to what they wanted. he wanted.

But when I see all these things I say: look, wow, what a strategy to invest in the education of young people, okay? We are not necessarily talking about children, we know that children are important, but he had a strategy where he focused on youth.

Brothers: I think the same thing happens in this country, here in the United States. Society is promoting many opportunities to attract young people, to educate them, to instruct them, to program them and then let them conduct themselves based on what they have learned. And I think that this is where many Christians are failing because we are not taking the time to educate our youth and create a solid enough foundation to help them stay true to their principles even when they are in the world, and We are going to see all these things throughout the history of Daniel.

But look at the future investment strategy that Nebuchadnezzar had. He was a king who was aware, he said: I am not going to be here forever. I am still strong, I am young, I am the most powerful but now is when I have to make sure who are the ones that will follow once I leave and I want to make sure that those people have the same DNA as mine, that they are cut by the same scissors and that they know how things happen here.

Many times young people do not appreciate the sacrifice and investment of their parents when parents want them to study, want them to make an effort, want them to advance, they do not appreciate it. And I'm going to tell you a little story.

My mom, when I was about 16 years old, did something that changed my life. She asked her friends for money, she asked for money, it was not borrowed money, no, she asked that they give her money to put me to study English, I lived in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, and that made me feel ashamed , I did not want. We had a very strong argument because of that because I told her: Mommy, but they teach me English at school, why are you going to send me to a private school to learn English? at school I learn English; ah yes but in your school they will give you Windows, Chicken and I don't know what (laughs).

The thing is, I ended up going to English school for two years. I then borrowed the money from some friends, my mom asked for the money to pay for school. But once I came to this country, years later, I came here when I was about 20, it was when I realized the importance of what she had done during my youth and then I had to apologize and say: mommy Look, thank you because at that time I didn't look at the long term, I didn't know, I didn't want to, I was focused on the present, on Saturdays I wanted to play with my friends and you sent me to study English.

So Nebuchadnezzar was clear about what had to be done with young people in the present. He would take them and educate them in the present, and he would bring a select group. While Daniel and his friends were being delivered to the king's palace learning the culture, everyone else was playing, they were partying, whatever, but Nebuchadnezzar had this clear principle. And I think that it is a principle that we as parents need to learn.

And not just as parents, as adults who have a certain level of influence in the lives of the young people around us. One can give a word of exhortation, a word of advice even if the young person doesn't want to accept it, even if the young person replies back or whatever, because maybe several years in the future they will look back and say: wow , thank you. Thank you for investing in my future, pulling my ears in the past and such. So Nebuchadnezzar was clear about this.

So look at what it says here: The king was concerned about their education and wanted them to learn more. For a person to behave righteously as an adult, he needs someone to instruct him as a child. You are not going to be perfect in adulthood if you do not have a solid foundation when you are a child, when you are young.

Sometimes one believes that since one raises the boys and the boys are 16, 18, they graduate from the university and that's it, that they go that way, a lie; they still need the instruction and wisdom of their parents. One never stops learning values and values are things that are taught and repeated, and repeated, and repeated, and repeated, even if your children have children of theirs, you will always be the father, the mother, and you will always to be an authority figure, and he has a responsibility to always share those principles with his boys.

So, one of the things I found: Nebuchadnezzar didn't care much if they were Christians or non-Christians, pagans or I don't know what, the king wanted them to be young, agile, hard-working, faithful and smart for business, right? that they could learn language, history, philosophy, mathematics, the arts, war tactics and skills that would help them to continue leading the city and the kingdom many years later. The king realized their intent, their intellect and tried to nurture them.

Look at what the second part of verse 5 says: "And the king appointed him the ration for each day of the provision of the king's food, and of the drink that he drank, and that he should raise them three years so that they appear before the king." Nebuchadnezzar had a three-year strategy. He said: in three years we will give these boys everything they need so that they can function well in our language.

Look what the Bible says in Proverbs 9:9, it says: "Give to the wise and he will be wiser; teach the righteous and he will increase in knowledge." For Nebuchadnezzar it was not enough that they already came from a royal lineage, that they already came very educated, highly prepared from their country, he also wanted to give them more because knowledge never counts. So he wanted to teach them.

But he also noticed that they were well nourished. Look at what verse 5 says: "The king appointed him the ration for each day of the portion of the king's food and of the wine that he drank." Look at the situation Daniel and his friends were in. Despite everything, despite the fact that they had been taken as slaves to a nation, they had certain privileges because they were going to eat the same food as the king and were going to drink the same wine that he drank.

I imagine, in the Dominican Republic there is a saying: "The poorly eaten does not think." And I imagine that Nebuchadnezzar perhaps thought that. He said: look, we want these boys to study and all that, but we have to feed them, because the poorly fed don't think. If they don't eat, how are they going to be able to process all these things? so he made sure that the food they were going to have was going to be the best.

Perhaps the other slaves that they had brought were not taken before the king to eat what the king ate, they gave them other types of food, but they were given the best of the best. And he had a three-year plan, he said: you are going to have a three-year process, in the long term, we are going to take our time but we are going to make sure that we have a product of quality and excellence at the end of this period.

Now, look at what happens in verse 6: "Among these were Daniel, Ananias, Mishael, and Azariah of the sons of Judah, and to these the chief eunuchs gave names, he named Daniel: Beltasar, Ananias: Zadrac, to Misael: Mesac and to Azarías: Abed Negó" they changed the names of Daniel and his friends. Why did they change their names, what is the need to change my name? my name is fine the way it is, why do they have to change my name? Imagine that it is like emigrating from your country to here and they change your name; There are cultures that do. For example the Koreans and the Chinese, they always try to look for an American name.

But let's see what the logistics are after that. Maybe the fact that he changed their name was to show his authority over them, ok? for him to tell them: you are my slaves and now you are going to call yourselves so-and-so, so-and-so, and I want you to keep in mind that I am the boss and you are the slaves, right? Then he demonstrated his authority and their subjection.

It was also something like naturalization: and now you are going to be citizens of Babylon, so we are going to give you a new name and a new identity, for what? so that the other people of Babylon can recognize you as people from here and so that you can more easily integrate into the culture.

You know that sometimes, for example in Latin America, as soon as you see a different kind of man, you say: he's not from here. The same thing happens here: since you see Rodríguez, López etc. says: these are not from here, they are from another place. So Nebuchadnezzar wanted them to be fully assimilated into the culture and to pass as one of them, because he knew that if he was going to put these people in front of his culture, the culture had to accept him. It was what happened with José.

When Joseph was taken captive to Egypt, what did Pharaoh tell him? I recommend that you marry an Egyptian girl because that way the people are going to accept you a little more too, and they changed José's name, and José had to learn Egyptian and all that stuff; So it was something that was used back then,

Now, look at the detail here of the change of the name, the detail, let's say, spiritual. Daniel, the name of Daniel meant: God is judge. When they changed his name to Beltasar, Beltasar means: guardian of the treasures of Bel, it was a name that had a pagan meaning. So in a way, Nebuchadnezzar was trying to change his spiritual identity as well by doing this.

Ananias, Ananias meant: the grace of the Lord, and they named him Sadrac, and Sadrac means: the inspiration of the sun, which was a god they worshiped. To Misael, which meant: the strong God, they named Mesac, which means: the goddess of Sac, under whom they worshiped Venus, they worshiped the goddess of Venus, so that was the meaning of his name. And to Azarías, Azarías meant: the Lord is my help, they named him: Abed Negó, which means: servant of the brilliant fire, which was another god that they also adored.

Then look at the subtlety with which Nebuchadnezzar tried to instill his pagan values into the lives of these people by changing their names. But nevertheless Daniel and his friends were aware that they could call them whatever they wanted and the names could mean whatever they wanted, but they were not willing to compromise their identity and their principles despite whatever the town wanted to do. .

And Daniel used an important strategy to do that, to defend himself let's say. Before going there, I want to pause and tell you that the names that we choose for our children are important, and the meaning with which one blesses a child when giving it a name is something that can accompany them for the rest. of their life. I really believe in the value of taking names that have a strong theological meaning and teaching it to your children, because your children will grow up feeling proud that: wow, my name means this, my name means that.

I got very angry with my sister because she named my niece, my oldest niece's name is: Sheily Yandel, my sister is not a Christian and I say: why don't you name her Ester, Débora, Ruth, Elizabeth? "no, no, no, no" what are we going to do. But I hope in God that when I have my children I am going to name them like these three: Ananias, Misael and Azarías. No (laughs), we're going to look for a more common name, Johnatan, Samuel, Daniel, you know, things like that.

But let's see how Daniel then tried to defend himself subtly and with intelligence. Look at what it says in verse 8: "And Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the portion of the king's food or with the wine that he drank. He therefore asked the chief of the eunuchs not to force him to defile himself. Daniel He stood his ground" ok? and he said: ok we are here but we are not from here; together but not mixed. And it was a sacrifice.

It was a sacrifice because imagine that they bring you a good steak, a good steak, right and you say no, that you don't want to eat that, that they bring you a good glass of good quality wine because the king had to eat the best TRUE? and you say: no, I don't want to eat that. I want to eat legumes and water. Hey, that's discipline there.

So, but Daniel was sure of what he wanted to do. He was sure that they were going to change his name but not his nature, right? that they were going to change everything around him but they were not going to change him.

And Daniel did this not out of foolishness. Not because he said: ah, do you think you're stronger than me? well no, I'm not going to eat it, I'm not going to eat it, as children sometimes do also "I'm not going to eat it" don't eat it. When I said that to my dad he would say: don't eat it, and he would leave. When I came and my food was not there, I asked: where is my food? I ate it, how did you eat it? You told me you didn't love her and I.

So Daniel was not going to be a rebel, he simply wanted to do it out of conviction, and he made a deal with the chief of the eunuchs. He told her: look, I want them to give us vegetables and water instead of those things. But why didn't Daniel want to eat the king's food, because it was a sin, it wasn't a sin? We do not know.

Back then the Jews did not eat pork, they were very particular about the type of meat they ate. And when they were in a foreign nation they refrained from eating meat because they did not know if that meat was a meat that had been sacrificed to idols or that had been blessed by some idols and they had their beliefs, and they stood firm. They did it not out of obligation but out of conviction, they decided that they were not going to eat.

It's like people who tell me: and why don't you drink, is it a sin to drink, is it a sin to drink? I tell people, and again this is my personal opinion: I don't think drinking is a sin as long as you don't get drunk. Now I don't drink. You invite me a glass of wine: maybe I'll drink it, maybe not, and I'm not going to drink it, not because it's a sin, but because my freedom in Christ gives me the authority to decide that I don't want to drink, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Now I am going to tell you: it is not easy at all, it is a test and today is the day of confessions, I am going to confess here with you. I like to dance, I love to dance. When I grew up, I grew up in a Christian family, very conservative, I didn't dance at all, my sisters even danced to the commercials on television but I didn't. After I became independent, I said: but now I'm going to take it out on her.

So one day I went to a club here in Boston with some friends, from here from the Church (laughs), we went to take some salsa classes, right? because I wanted to learn salsa and I don't know what, a long time ago, yes, a long time ago, it wasn't recent, a long time ago since you don't know what happened to me: a person from the Church appeared to me; "Pastor Johnatan, how are you?" I wanted to die, and I said: swallow me earth. And I said: I am here preaching the Gospel because this is where they are, this is where the people who need are. But gentlemen but look: I wanted to die, I wanted to die, and I said: Lord, now, now. It is by obedience, it is not forced. Ok, I'm going to decide then not to dance.

What happened? wait, wait because it doesn't end there (laughs). I grew up on an island right? with many boats, many things but I had never been to a wedding or a fifteen-year-old in boats, and I went to a wedding of a friend of mine in California that was in a boat. So you leave on the boat and you have to stay there until it's over, because how are you going to get back, you know what I mean?

And then at that American wedding, imagine, we were like two Hispanics who were just there and they started dancing and I don't know what, and I said: well, I'm going to have to dance because what am I going to do here for four hours? I will not do anything. I took advantage of the fact that there was no one from the Church, look, and I danced, until I couldn't, right? Lord, between You and me, forgive me, I don't know what happened.

Then I came here to have a wedding in another boat, it was a bilingual wedding, I was in the Spanish part and there was a Pastor from another Church in charge of the English part and it was in a boat, the people are dancing and the mother comes from the girlfriend who knows me, we are very trustworthy and she tells me: Johnatan but you can dance here, dance with me, dance with me and I say: no sister so-and-so, I can't dance with you because, no, no, no, I am deciding not to dance, it is not because it is a sin, it is that I do not want to dance. Then she tells me: but the other Pastor has already left, you can be here.

I tell him: we are on a boat, how did he leave, did they come to pick him up by a helicopter, did he leave in a boat? he has to be there and not be there because the other Pastor is not there because God is watching me, and if I say I don't want to dance, I don't want to dance! but gentlemen: it was difficult, it was difficult.

Recently, about two weeks ago, we were in a fifteen-year-old and there they danced, they put on two of my favorite songs; oh my God, Celia Cruz's song that life is a carnival, they put that one on, then they put on a song by Mark Anthony that: "live my life" and they told me: die, I left, I left, I was spinning.

There were other people from the Church, some were dancing, others were not, and I sat with those who were not dancing; and I: Lord, here we are crucifying the flesh, look, this is crucifying the flesh.

This is one of the delicate points of the Christian life, but what I want to illustrate with this is that: when one stops doing things in the name of the Gospel, it is not because it is an obligation, it is not necessarily because it is a sin, it is because you Freedom in Christ gives you the right to decide: right now I don't want to do that, and those are things that one has to explain to their family and friends, and try to earn their respect that way.

This was what happened with Daniel and his friends. There was nothing wrong with eating pork, meat sacrificed to idols. If they knew that the meat was sacrificed to idols they could pray and say: Lord I ask that you bless this meat in Jesus' Name and I cancel, and this and that, and the Lord could have done that but they didn't even They didn't even want to go to that extreme, because they decided: you know what? we are not going to eat this, and so they did; not out of foolishness, but out of conviction.

In Romans chapter 12 Paul says, "Do not be conformed to the customs of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your understanding." It is not easy brothers, it is a process. And that's why I make these illustrations for you.

The first time when I went to the club in Cambridge I understood: Lord, okay, I don't have to be here, but I went to California and there I danced, danced, danced. So I came here and again the same thing; I already understood Lord, ok, I am going to decide not to do this. Now, don't be surprised if you see me out there dancing somewhere because imagine, I can't promise that I won't do it but it is in my heart to try to remain upright and faithful to be a witness to the people who are around. around me. And I'm in this boat just like you're in the boat so we're in this together.

So that happened and that is what Paul refers to when he says that one does not have to conform to the customs of this world. If everyone is dancing, if everyone is drinking, if everyone is doing whatever, you don't have to do that, why? Your freedom in Christ allows you to decide: look, I'm not going to do that because it's not the time, I don't want to and God honors that, God is pleased with that, that's what I think. He said: "Everything is lawful for me but not everything is convenient" everything is lawful for me but not everything builds.

They are things that we know but those are the things that we have to remember in those moments of trial, in those moments of temptation and decide to honor God before honoring men. And I tell you this with fear and trembling because I know that it is not easy, I know that it is difficult, especially because many of us have families that are not Christians, who are there to judge you, to criticize you, but one can shape the difference and be a different example. But let's continue.

Daniel had convictions that he had learned through his culture and through his people. David wrote the Psalms. You know that Daniel and his friends came from the lineage of David, they came from that kingdom. David wrote in a Psalm: "Do not let my heart be inclined to evil things, to do impious works with those who work in iniquity and that I do not eat of their delights."

In that Psalm David was clear and he said that he did not want to do any of that, he asked God for those things, that he managed to remain pure. Solomon exhorted people: "Put a knife to your throat if you have a large appetite. Do not covet delicate delicacies because it is deceitful bread. Do not strive to get rich, be prudent and desist." They are examples with which David and Solomon exhorted the young people of their Congregation, the people of their Congregation, how to behave when they were outside the Kingdom, in another country, in another place, far from their parents, they left these precepts instilled in them. .

It strikes me that Solomon says at the end: "Do not worry about getting rich, be prudent and give up" because these things do not only lend themselves to whether I dance or not dance, if I drink or not, this lends itself to our life professional. If everyone in the office is doing illegitimate things, why do I have to do the same? If so-and-so has a half-dark business and is getting rich, why do I have to do the same?

This applies to all areas of our lives, brothers, because one has to make a difference wherever one goes, drinking, dancing, these are minimal things; there are more serious things that occur on a personal and work level in our lives. So you have to keep an eye on that.

A commentator said that Daniel and his friends decided not to eat the king's food because they were aware of the suffering of their parents and their relatives back in Israel, and they said: it is not fair that I am eating here wine, eating this while my parents, while my people are spending so much work there captives, as slaves, etc., etc. That is the opinion of one commentator.

But I got to thinking about it and I said: wow, there are times when maybe one should react in the same way before one spends money excessively. I'm not saying that you can't go out, travel, treat yourself because I love to travel, I like to buy good things and I don't know what, but everything has to be balanced, everything has to be in moderation because we are not alone in this world and there are people who also need it.

And I want to share with you this illustration. That was what they were saying, they were perhaps doing a fast for Jerusalem. They said: we are going to drink vegetables and water for our nation of Jerusalem because even though we are here we are showing solidarity with them and we want to identify with them.

So let me share this: "On December 10, 1979, a short woman wearing a white sari and a pair of sandals stood before a stage in Oslo, Norway. Before her were the King and Queen of Norway together to ambassadors and dignitaries from various countries. This woman's name was Mother Teresa and she was there to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. So let's read her speech for a moment.

"In delivering her speech, she did so without notes. She began with a short prayer and proceeded to explain her life's work. She said: I chose the poverty of our people, but I am grateful to receive this Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers and everyone who feels unwanted, unloved, forgotten by the hands of society, people who have become a burden to society and are despised for everyone."

"In her speech she described an unforgettable experience visiting an institution for the elderly, which inspired her thinking about the poverty that others often noticed. Mother Teresa recalled that the elderly who lived in that institution had everything, but always they looked at the door with sadness in their eyes. A staff member explained that these people always waited and hoped, every day, to see a son or daughter come to visit them. They were sad and hurt because they had been abandoned and forgotten by their own relatives."

"Using this example, Mother Teresa pointed out that neglect was just one of many types of poverty that can exist in people's homes. This had made her wonder if there were people willing to try to receive and care for those who felt lonely, sick or worried." Gentlemen, I am reading this to you because these are things that have confronted me this week in a very clear way.

And then she says: "For Mother Teresa, who had spent most of her life caring for others, the plight of neglected people was of the utmost importance. And in order not to miss the opportunity to help the poor, she asked that the big traditional dinner that was given after the Nobel Prize was canceled and that money was given to the poor."

Gentlemen, I read that and said: wow, this lady had her ovaries well placed. Because gentlemen, not everyone does that. We easily forget where we come from and the situations we have gone through. I don't want to generalize because there are people who still support the economy of one's countries by sending money weekly, I don't want to generalize either. But let's assume that Daniel and his friends were doing that because they were fasting for their people. Could we do the same to some level? It's not like we're all going to eat vegetables and water now, that's not what I'm saying either.

But it is simply the thing that I want to put in front of you so that one thinks, so that one considers: if one goes out every weekend, well, one weekend we are going to stay at home, we are going to save that money and we are going to sponsor a child in El Salvador or Costa Rica and send him forty dollars a month.

You know that I was in one of those sponsorship programs when I was a child, I had a family from Oregon that sent me twenty dollars a month, and with that my mother bought school supplies, this and that until I arrived to the University. And I only met these people once in my life, and look where I am by the grace of the Lord. So we can do the same.

For Daniel it was a matter of conscience and conviction. He proposed in his heart, okay? proposed. I searched for the meaning of the word propose and it is like determining and making the intention of executing something or not, it is something that he did in his heart. Desiring to do, that had something to do with his inner man, with his mind and with his heart, it was something that was part of him so that he could propose to do it. Desiring to do the Will of God is not enough; it is necessary to propose it and do it.

Many of us have the best wishes, the best intentions but it just stays there, in a wish, I would like to, I would like to, no. You have to propose and do it. If Daniel had simply wished not to defile himself with the king's food, a wish but he eats it, but he proposed it to him; he said: no and no, and that is my word, and I have said right?

So, Daniel set out to do that because Daniel might have known that it was better to be safe than sorry. It is easier to resist temptation if you strengthen your convictions before temptation comes than to try to deal with it when it comes.

Daniel was able to refrain from eating that food because already in his country, in his culture, he already knew that he should not eat that, he had already been instructed; He was already preparing before and he did not know that they were going to take him prisoner at some point to another nation, but when it happened he was already prepared and he says that it was easier for him.

Many of us know the areas for which we fight the most, the areas in which we are most vulnerable, those are the areas in which one has to prepare before they arrive, so that when they arrive one can say: aim and not. simply stay with the desire, and say: no, I don't pass this line, why? because my freedom in Christ allows me, I will not cross this line. By conviction, right? not out of obligation.

Brother: define your commitment to God. To what extent are you going to commit yourself to God? You and I know the things we need to change. I don't have to tell you, no one has to tell me, I know. Yes, it is good that from time to time they remind me, with love, but the ones that one knows, those are the ones that one has to work on from now on, so that when the test arrives one is ready, okay? Dodging taxes, you know, you know, I don't have to go into much detail with these things.

And look at what happened in verse 9 after Daniel put that on his heart: "And God put Daniel in favor and in good will with the chief eunuchs. Despite what Daniel had done, because Daniel did not He did it out of rebellion but out of conviction, God put him in favor. There is a saying that it is better to fall into favor than to be funny and that is a reality, that is a reality. And the grace of God has accompanied all of us for our life.

The jobs that we have, the education that we have received, the opportunity to be in this country, has been by grace. The way in which one arrived here and that one has studied is the grace of God, not because of our merits. So it is because of that grace that we decide to honor God, because we have much more than we deserve, but we forget.

Then God touched the hearts of Daniel's chiefs and put Daniel in favor, and Daniel found favor with the prince of the eunuchs. Daniel and Joseph had something in common: they were both imprisoned and while they were imprisoned they remained humble and gentle, and they found grace in front of their jailers. Pablo and who was the other one who was imprisoned? and Silas, Silas, they also found favor with their jailers. No matter what situation one is in, one has to pray for God to put one in favor with your supervisors; At work, don't try to win over your supervisor by hiding the bad things he or she does. Ask God to put you in favor before Him so that you can be a witness to your supervisor. We must recognize the grace of God in our life always because it is very easy to forget these things.

Look at what verse 10 says: "And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel: I fear my lord, the king who appointed your food and your drink, because after he sees your faces paler than the boys who are similar to you will condemn my head with the king." That was told to him by the chief of the eunuchs. So Daniel then went to where the subordinate of the chief of the eunuchs, the one who was above him, okay? that it was another person named Meltsar, in verse 11.

"And he went to Meltsar who was placed as head of the eunuchs over Daniel, Ananias, Misael and Azarías, I beg you to make a test with your servants for ten days and give us vegetables to eat, and water to drink, then compare our faces with the faces of the boys that ration of the king's food, and do with your servants as you see." Daniel left humble, for a little while and spoke with the subordinate and said: let's do the test for ten days, ten days, just give me ten days. But Daniel was sure that God was not going to leave him in shame.

And so it happened. After ten days it was something inexplicable, because people who are eating lettuce and water, and people who are eating meat and wine, were not ashamed, but that is what the grace of God does. When God gives a blessing, it's the most unusual thing, the most absurd thing that works, okay? not by our own strength but by the grace of God.

Daniel was sure that his God was not going to let him fail, but Daniel had that security because of the close relationship he had before God, something he had learned in the house of David, in the house of Solomon and through their culture. , and that is the importance of why we should do that.

So Daniel did not complain or impose himself; he made a suggestion, he made a request and God was glorified through it. The blessing is the one that enriches and does not add sadness with it, brothers, and that is something that we must always remember.

Daniel and his friends became the king's advisers, okay? in the team of advisors, because thanks to the grace that God had given them before their supervisor, they gained trust, they were able to enter the king's office and they were able to change the course of many things in that nation. With his example and his testimony, the king of that nation and many people who knew them were able to know that their God was the true God, okay? and you know the story of the lions' den, the story of when they threw him into the fiery furnace and if you don't know it, then start reading Daniel this week, but they did that with their testimony.

Look at what the Bible says in Proverbs 13 where it says: "He who walks with the wise will be wise, but he who associates with fools will be broken." Daniel was even strategic in choosing his friends. He chose Sadrac, Meshach and Abed Negó to be his friends because they were people who had similar values from the same culture, who knew that they would help and encourage each other in difficult times and they did.

Who are your closest friends today? Who are the people who advise you, who encourage you? Are their values in sync or is there a mismatch? This also we have to learn about Daniel.

God gave them the knowledge, skill, and wisdom they needed to excel at everything. The best way to evangelize gentlemen is with our testimony. Saint Francis of Assisi said: "Preach the Gospel always and use words if necessary."

What does one learn from this? at your workplace, wherever you work; If you work cleaning, if you work in an office, if you are the boss of something, behave like a Christian and your bosses will see something different in you, and God will put you in favor, and you will reach a level where like Daniel, the king will come to you to ask for advice and you will be able to change the situation of your work environment, and advocate that things be done in the best way, in the correct way and with justice; but you always have to stay humble like Daniel, okay?

Many times, and I'm honest, at first when I heard Daniel's story and I saw some injustice around me I said: no, Daniel had courage, and Daniel stopped and said: I'm not going to eat that, what if I They are going to throw me to the lions, the Lord is going to help me. No, that wasn't Daniel's attitude, but sometimes you want to become half unionist and half, you know, guerrilla, and God has to come down and take you down, you know? That's not how Daniel did things, that's not how Joseph did things.

I shared these days with a friend and said: I want God to give me the courage of Daniel, the integrity of José and the humility of Ester, I told her that this was my prayer. And she told me: yes, I ask for Daniel's diet, José's closet and Ester's beauty, that's what I ask for, do you understand me? (laughter) one can ask God for both, one can ask for spiritual things but also with spiritual things come these other things that God gives to people. So, it's not that: oh I'm going to become a Christian, no. You can be a Christian and everything, but God also blesses you and prospers you, and puts you in grace.

So, Daniel's Strengths and Accomplishments: Daniel proved that being young is not limited to making mistakes. One can make a difference and earn the respect of adults with discretion, humility and wisdom. Also, surrounding yourself with people of integrity and believers is a blessing in the long run. These are things one can learn about Daniel.

In the midst of all the problems they went through, Daniel and his friends were faithful to God. They became the advisers of Babylonian and Medo-Persian kings. After the Babylonian empire ended another empire came and there Daniel still entered because he continued with the same grace. God is the one who removes kings and sets up kings. Make sure you are on God's list so that when God removes one, He puts you along with the other as well as Daniel.

Daniel was a man of prayer. He got into trouble for praying three times a day. I don't pray three times a day, there are days that pass me by and I don't pray, but whenever I pray I try to do it consciously and I ask Him: Lord help me to look for prayer times in Your Word, Lord help me, and it is a sacrifice.

Yesterday preparing this sermon, such a beautiful day outside, my God, what did I not want to do, but nothing; I had to stop there. Until 8 at night arrived, I went to see Transformers, I told him: let me go see the movie at least, take a break and I don't know what. I got home around 12 because that movie is too long, but I was able to finish and everything and here we are, you know, taking stock of things.

The lessons we learn from Daniel. Discreet convictions often earn respect in the long run. Don't wait until the difficult situation arrives to learn how to pray. God can use people wherever they are and under any circumstances.

Daniel and his friends had lost all prestige, all comforts. Imagine that they kidnap you and take you to another country far from everything you know, another language and I don't know what, however the grace of God was with them and there God took you from glory to glory. That is what our Shepherd's Book is all about.

We in the land of pilgrims must cling to the grace of God, and ask God to give us grace in our places of work here so that God may lead us from glory to glory, and that we become counselors and advisors to our supervisors. But that is not going to happen if one does not decide to live in integrity, if one does not decide to get closer to God and depend on God.

So what are we going to do this week? Daniel's story is one of integrity, loyalty, courage and simplicity. The word integrity is translated as: honest, honest, respect for others, direct, appropriate, respectable, emotional control, self-respect, punctuality, loyalty, neat, disciplined and firm in their actions. In general, he is someone who can be trusted. Integrity is getting back on the path of our truth, it is doing the right thing for the right reasons in the right way. It is related to the right not to be subject to physical violations such as injuries, torture or death.

Let us propose to be men and women of integrity wherever we find ourselves and open ourselves to God's blessings in our lives. Someone shared with me a long time ago: never tired of doing what is right, and then I realized that this is a verse from the Bible: "You brothers never tire of doing what is right, of doing what is right." correct."

Wherever one is, when one sees things that are not right, we are going to try to make things right, because at the end of the day the blessing of Jehovah is the one that enriches, and we are going to do it with humility and simplicity like Daniel. We are going to be upright, loyal, have courage and also be simple.

It is possible to be faithful to God even when surrounded by pagan influences. It is possible to fix our eyes on Christ and serve him with integrity even when we are in an environment where everyone thinks totally differently from us, that is where God wants us, that is where God wants us to shine and be the difference.

God gives grace to His faithful servants before the pagan bosses, that's what happened with Daniel. His boss didn't even know God and God put him in favor. God humbles the proud and exalts the humble.

Let's stay humble, no matter what grades one reaches, job promotions, no. Look, all that happens. Let's stay humble so that God helps us to carry on. The story of Daniel brothers is a story of integrity, loyalty, courage and simplicity. Stand up, let's pray.

Lord: we thank you for Your Word that is alive and effective, and I ask you so that what we have heard today Lord can go with us this week to our homes, to our places of employment, wherever you want us Let's find Lord. And whether we are in situations of prison, torment, tribulation or that we are at the top of the world, that in both places Lord, we can remember You and give thanks, that everything has been by Your Grace Lord, and that You You have a plan that even if we don't understand it now, we will understand it later.

Thank you for men like Daniel, for men like José, for women like Ester Lord, who with their examples bless us Father and teach us so many things God. Help us to put Your Word into practice, to propose in our hearts to change Father, and to do things well. Thank you God for this time, bless us and guide us in the rest of this day and this week. In the name of Jesus, amen.